Perfectly Arranged
by Kenzie493
Summary: Ino is forced into an arranged marriage to one of her Father's best friends' son! Will she be able to love him eventually, or is this marriage a lost cause? R&R Please !
1. Prolouge

**AN: Okay this is my newest story! The chapters are a little short but I already have the story mostly done so please stick with me through this whole process! 3 **

**Please read, review, and enjoy.**

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"Oooooh! Mother, that HURTS!" Ino whined. "Why do I have to do this anyway? I hate it! And this kimono...! ARGH!"

Her mother was finished dressing Ino and had moved on to styling her hair. "You have to because your father said so. You know that!"

Ino was dressed in a rather attractive dark violet kimono--so dark it was almost black, which fit Ino's mood. Her mother fixed her hair so that her platinum blonde locks were in a long braid down her back and the shorter part of her hair was tucked and clipped behind her ear. She wore makeup that made her eyelashes dark and her cheeks look flushed, and her lips were a practically non-existent pink. She had on some ornate necklaces that were a little over the top.

"Mother..." Ino whimpered a little. Her mother was in a similar getup of a dark navy kimono that made her sandy blonde hair seem much lighter than it really was and simple makeup. "Does Daddy have a reason? He won't tell me."

Her mother shrugged her shoulders. "Inoshi said nothing much about it to me, although he mentioned he was good friends with the father."

Ino stood up and pushed her mother's arm away. "God, how CAN he? How can Daddy just market me off to a pal like this?! Did he loose me in a game of poker, huh?! Or did I just get sold to the highest bidder?! Was he drunk?!" Ino shrunk down to her knees. "I thought Daddy loved me..." She said painfully. Her mother knelt down and hugged her carefully, trying not to mess her appearance up, which made Ino feel oddly perturbed. Weren't her feelings more important than how she looked?

"Come now, dear. Daddy knows what he's doing!" Her mother tried to console her.

Ino jumped up. "OH? So now, turns out it's really an orchestrated attack on me?! So he's thought out how to absolutely and utterly RUIN MY LIFE?!" She stormed over to the mirror and hastily undid her braid and shook her hair out. She hadn't gotten a haircut for five years--not since she was twelve and had done so on a bet with her best friend Sakura--so it was incredibly long and fell gracefully into place. Her mother leaped over to her and tried to fix it.

"INO! Ino, honey, stop it!"

"NO!" Ino slapped her mother's arms that were reaching for her hair again. "If I have to go through with this than I am going to go about it my OWN way! You probably didn't give a second thought to marrying off your only daughter when Daddy told you that he had already sealed the deal! How dare you try to touch me when you didn't fight for me at all! You act like it's such a smart thing and how I should be pleased that I am a married woman without even having to go through with saying my vows!" She undid all her jewelry and angrily slammed it down on her dresser and stared into the mirror. She could see her mother behind her looking upset and angry and also undecided on what to do.

"...Fine, be like this. But you're only making it worse for yourself." She sighed and went for the door. "I'm going to go to see your father. By now, our guests have probably arrived. Be in the foyer in five to ten minutes or else, Ino." She opened the door and turned back towards her daughter with a sincere look on her face. "I am sorry you aren't happy with your father's arrangements, but I'm trying to make the best of it. I'm proud to have such a beautiful daughter married so young. The least you could do is show your husband and his family the proper hospitality." and with that she was gone.

Ino's shoulders sagged a little and she turned to the door. "God, my HUSBAND...!" she ran a hand through her hair that was looking attractively tousled, even if that wasn't the effect Ino had hoped for. "I can't believe I have a husband! And I've never seen hide nor hair of him..."

Ino paced about her room for a minute anxiously. She checked her reflection a few times--she had realized with sudden anxiety that she WANTED to look good for her husband--then, with a long-suffering ragged sigh, she walked out her room and down the dimly lit hallway to meet her new and unwanted family.


	2. And So We Meet

Sitting stiffly in the Yamanka's parlour were three people Ino didn't know. They weren't aware of her presence because she had been very silent, so she observed them for a moment. Their backs were to her so she couldn't see their faces, but Ino could see their dark hair and that they looked rather average in build. The weird thing about them Ino noticed was their posture showed more than some people's faces did. The woman looked self-disciplining and somewhat insecure. The man looked like he was playful but intensely dedicated. The son--her HUSBAND, Ino reminded herself--had an annoyed feel to him and it seemed like he thought most things were overrated. Ino wasn't sure of what to make of that.

She suddenly tuned in on what they were speaking about. "...more beautiful than any other woman her age in the world, I swear!" Her father was saying to the dark-haired family. "People on the street stop and stare at her all the time. You should feel especially blessed that I am giving such a jewel to you, Nara!"

Nara? Ino wondered who this was for a split second. Then her mother noticed her. "Ino, darling!" She said cheerfully, gesturing her in with a slight look of displeasure that Ino hadn't cleaned up a bit more after her fit. "Come closer, dear, and meet your husband and his family!"

Her father stood up and hurried over to her and distracted Ino from looking at the strangers as they too stood up to look at her. She kept her face just barely impassive, trying to look bold in front of their visitors, and stopped herself from glaring at the man who had sold her and violated her trust. Inoshi smiled, looking proud. "And here's my precious jewel now! Ino-chan, step into the room, step into the room!" He ushered her closer, and that's when her eyes fell on the strangers once again.

The woman was smiling lightly and uncertainly, like she was uncomfortable in this situation and state of dress. She was pretty in a subtle way. Her husband, the tall man, wore his hair up in a ponytail and had a goatee. He had scars on his face that made him look rugged but his expression was friendly and open and blessedly welcoming. Ino's eyes slid to the son.

He was of an average height with the same spiky ponytail as his father. He looked vaguely annoyed like she had thought, and yet she didn't think it was her that was annoying him. He was concentrated intensely on her. He didn't smile at her and his eyebrows were creased, and he was studying her intently like she was him. Although he didn't look welcoming like his father did, Ino felt that it was more appropriate at such a time and surprisingly appreciated it. Their eyes met for a moment and Ino felt weak at just how INTENSE he was.

She bowed slightly. The man chuckled. "What a pretty and polite little girl you've got there Yamanka!"

Her father put his arm around her shoulders and pushed her softly against him. "You've got that right Nara! She's my crowning glory." He smiled down at her and Ino couldn't help but smile back, although she tried to convey that she was disappointed in him through her eyes.

Ino stepped away from her father and forward a little. She nodded at her mother, losing the feeling of anger, who walked over to stand behind her as well with a smile. She gently directed Ino towards the man. "Ino, darling, this is your father's oldest friend, Nara Shikato." Ino held out her hand to shake and he laughed again and firmly shook her hand. Then her mother moved her towards the woman. "And this is Nara Yoshino, his wife." Ino once again held out her hand, giving the woman a small smile. She was slightly red from embarrassment, but lightly embraced Ino, a gesture which Ino returned in an embarrassed way herself.

Then the man, Shikato, pulled his son forward a few steps so they were face to face. Her mother's voice rung through her head. "And this is their son, your husband, Nara Shikamaru."

Ino didn't bother with holding out her hand or making some other useless gesture. They stared at eachother for a minute silently, before he furrowed his brows some more and dug into his pocket for a second. He held out a box for her to take. She took it, her fingers lightly brushing against his hand and opened it. Inside was a beautiful gold ring that wasn't terribly overdone or too simple, with a medium sized sapphire in the middle and two smaller pearls flanking it imbedded in the gold. She looked up at him.

Shikamaru gave her a strange looking grin--it wasn't a smirk exactly, but it wasn't as nice as a smile--and shrugged. "I know it's pointless to give you a ring when the papers are already signed, but I thought you deserved this much, at least."

Ino looked surprised. The parents were watching the proceedings intently to see what would happen. They, too, looked surprised, and Ino realized that he had gone out and gotten the ring himself without anyone else knowing about it. Her face broke into a warm, genuine smile and she blushed. "Thank you!" He seemed like a nicer person than she had assumed he was.

He didn't quite smile back, but he looked pleased that she hadn't thrown the box at him or refused it, and stepped closer to her. He picked up the ring from her palm and slid it onto her ring finger. Looking down at her hand she saw a bit of a real smile, and heard him mumble what she thought was 'with thistle and lead' which made utterly no sense at all, but then it was back to the odd half-smirk and he stepped back. Inoshi pulled his daughter back to him and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad you two get along!" He stated with a grin. "Tomorrow, as you know, Ino, you will be moving out of our house and into the Nara's home. You should go off to your room now and get a good night's sleep!"

Ino looked at her bare feet uncomfortably, wishing she hadnt spent so much time with her appearance if she was to be shooed out after only a few minutes. "Yes, Daddy." She said and gave him a small hug, and heard another one of Shikato's warm chuckles. She looked up at the three standing in front of her and bowed again, ignoring the man's chuckling at her, though she noticed that his wife Yoshino tried to elbow him discreetly. "It was nice meeting you all." She said, feeling strangely vulnerable. "Have a good night." She said before turning around to leave, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek and wishing her a good night as well.

As Ino left she heard Inoshi talking about her. "Yeah...that's our precious little girl. Be delicate with her, you thug Nara." He directed at Shikato.

Shikato scoffed and laughed a little. "I'm no thug, Yamanka!"


	3. With This I Thee Wed

**AN: Thank you for all your reviews, alerts, and the favorite! I'm so grateful! I will cherish them allllll! **

**And to Maiomi loves Shikamaru-- Hehe, yeah, I wrote this back before their names were told to us fans so there's a few of those errors. You've got a sharp eye!**

**To all my other readers-- Please enjoy the chapter! **

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Ino slept particularly lightly that night, drifting in and out of sleep whenever she heard a noise. Her parents had stayed up late with the Naras, which Ino resented because she would have liked to have gotten to know them, although it was somewhat awkward. When her mother came to wake her at around eight in the morning, she was already half awake. She bathed and dressed in a lightweight lavender dress, brushing her hair over one shoulder and braiding it on her way down to breakfast. She wasn't finished by the time she got to the dining room, but momentarily stopped her braiding in surprise to see the Nara family at her table and eating breakfast with her parents.

After a second, she resumed braiding and sat down in her normal spot next to her father and smiled at the general room. "Good morning." She said with a nod, then turned to her plate and began to eat. She half listened to the talk around her, and half snuck glances at her husband. It was strange to think that she had to sneak looks at her own husband, but then again, they weren't even friends yet. She caught him glancing at her a few times, as well.

When everyone had finished eating and the adults were sitting around talking, Ino stood up and motioned to Shikamaru to follow her. "Will you help me finish packing?" She asked, to which he nodded to her, then acknowledged the rest of the room that was staring at them with another nod.

They walked a bit down the hallway before she turned her body while still walking to look at him. "Morning, Shikamaru-kun." She said, a little shyly. It was awkward for her, being the first time she had said his name and feeling weird about it.

He grinned. "You've already said 'morning'." he informed her.

She grinned a little herself. "Well, I wasn't really directing it straight at you that time, Shikamaru-kun" she said, trying to get used to his name.

"Y'know, you seem a lot friendlier when you're not around your parents. Has anyone ever told you that before?"

She was slightly surprised. "Well, they make this situation a lot more difficult than it needs to be, I think. I have trouble being around them when they do things like this to me."

"They've arranged your marriage before?" he asked with mirth in his eyes.

She laughed. "No, no! What I mean is when they go on about my looks. It's hard enough meeting you and your parents for the first time without knowing that all they've told you about me was my name and that I'm pretty."

He smiled. "I didn't know what to think when I first saw you. I was expecting a walking porcelain doll."

Ino groaned. "I might as well be, in their eyes. I had no idea what to think of you; I hadn't even heard your name before! All I knew was that your father and mine are friends, which could easily be gathered in like, a second with them."

They had arrived at her room. She opened the door and motioned for him to enter first, then followed him inside. "I'm surprised we've never met. Your father has dropped in on many occasions to see my father." He shuffled around her room a little. "I was actually there when they arranged this."

Ino spun around from where she stood at the bookshelf gathering books. "Were Daddy or Shikato-san drunk? Were they playing poker or something?" She asked frantically.

He frowned a little. "My dad may have been slightly drunk, but as far as I know your father wasn't. Mine had been drinking a bit before Inoshi-san arrived and immediately started talking about you."

Ino leaned back against the bookshelf like a huge weight had been taken off of her, and yet the burden of her father not having been under the influence made her feel weighed down once more. "What'd he say?"

Shikamaru shrugged and sat down on her bed. "Basically 'My daughter Ino is a beautiful girl and is your son's age, Nara. Let's arrange a marriage between them!' and my dad was like 'Okay Yamanka.' and then they went and got us married."

Ino slumped to the floor. "Just like that?" she said weakly.

He leaned forward, his hands clasped between his knees, as if that would get him a better look at her or something. "Well, I was paraphrasing. But that's the gist of it. The point is, your father got straight to business and my father was quick to agree with him. I think they had discussed it before."

"Oh..." Ino sighed, feeling a bit relieved. She looked at the floor. "Please don't be offended, but I really didn't want to get married just yet. I don't even know you. I mean, it would have been one thing if they forced us to date or hang out together all the time but I think our dads threw caution to the wind and skipped all the important parts of a relationship."

He grinned. "I'm not offended. I practically bust a gut trying to stop them from marrying us when they agreed on it."

Ino stood up and went to sit next to him, leaning back on her arms as he continued to lean forward, now with his neck twisted so he could look at her. "You seemed rather resigned to it when I first met you."

He smirked. "Well, they married us a long time back, so I've had awhile to mull it over. That was practically a month ago."

She sat up a little. "I only learned about it around two weeks ago! God..." She trailed off with an angry expression on her face. She calmed down after a minute in which Shikamaru never once pressed her to talk or looked like he was anxious for her to keep speaking. He was calm and patient. "Anyway...I really appreciated that ring you got me. It's so beautiful!" She held up her hand to look at it. "Seeing it makes me feel a whole lot better about this."

He smiled. "I'm glad, Ino." he responded and she felt a weird tingling sensation hearing him say her name. She sat up all the way.

"Do you have a ring?" Ino asked him apprehensively.

He shook his head and shrugged. I couldn't afford to get the whole wedding package, sorry."

She smiled. "You don't have to apologize!" She stood up and went over to her jewelry box and took out a simple gold ring of her own and walked back to him, sitting down right next to him. "Here. It's the least I can do, and it'll make this seem less fake, I guarantee it!"

He looked surprisingly vulnerable at that moment and Ino saw his resemblance to his mother shining through. She smiled softly and slid it onto his ring finger. "With this I thee wed." Ino said, staring straight at him. He wasn't looking at the ring, but staring right back at her. "That's what you said when you gave me my ring, isn't it?"

"I didn't realize you had heard that."

She blushed awkwardly. "Yeah, well...I did."

He leaned back. "I said it because we didn't have a wedding. That's what they usually say when the rings are exchanged, you know?"

Ino leaned back so they were facing eachother. "So, you going to help me with my stuff or should I kick you out of my room?"

He sighed. "How troublesome." He muttered, but stood up and pulled her up as well. "Show me what to do and I'll do it."

Ino grinned. "Alright, grab those over there..."


	4. As I Lay Me Down To Sleep

**AN: Augh, I have a super sore throat! I wish I could stay home from school and read fanfics all day...Anyway, thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I've been so excited to check my email lately, hehe!**

**This chapter is actually 2 parts...I thought the second part was too short to stand alone as its own chapter so I attached it to this one. Please enjoy!**

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Not too much later they had finished packing and Ino and her things had been carted off to the Nara house. The building was roughly the same size as her house, with just one very long level instead of the square shape of her own house, but there was more warmth to it; it practically oozed comfort. There were plush couches and chairs at every turn, with intricate paintings on the wall and games scattered on a table in the living room. 

As soon as they reached said living room, Shikamaru plopped down on a couch and closed his eyes. Ino wasn't sure if he had dozed off or not, so she just stood there uncomfortably. Yoshino walked into the room a moment later and Ino could almost FEEL the heat of her anger.

"NARA SHIKAMARU, you get up RIGHT THIS SECOND!" She hollered, grabbing a magazine from a rack next to the couch and rolling it up. When Shikamaru only rolled over a little in his spot, she held the magazine out to Ino. "Hit him." she instructed Ino. "I told him he had to show you around, and by god, he had better wake up and do as I say!"

Ino suppressed a laugh and whacked Shikamaru over the head. "Oooowwww!" He groaned, opening one eye and rubbing his head. "Geez, I was awake! I was only resting for a moment!"

Yoshino shook her head and stalked off, telling her son to show Ino around over her shoulder. He shrugged at his mother, and then stood up. "Gawd." He muttered, then turned to Ino. "Sorry. I woke up early this morning."

Ino gave him an indifferent look. "Well, you going to show me around or not?"

He looked long-suffering. "Yeah, yeah." He made a sweeping gesture. "This is the living room, as I assume you've already gathered." She nodded and he led her down the hall. He opened doors as he went. "My parent's room." and "The bathroom." and "A game room." were the simple answers he gave her until they reached the end of the long hallway.

"This one is my room." He said quietly, stepping inside. It was large with a bunch of knickknacks and books strewn everywhere. Ino followed him in. "This...Well, this is where you'll be staying until our parents finalize the deal on the house they're buying us."

Ino crossed her arms. "Here?"

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Yes."

"With you?"

"...Yeah."

Ino shook her head. "No."

He sat in one of his chairs. "Yes?"

"I'm not sleeping with you."

Shikamaru cocked his head. "Which form of that term do you mean?"

Ino turned red. "BOTH!"

He gave her a weird smile. "Sorry, but this is where our parents decided to put you. But don't worry, I won't rape you or anything." he gestured at the bed. "Besides, it's big enough for two."

It was true--his bed was huge--but she stomped her foot like a child. "I don't want to sleep in here with you!"

He stood up and sighed. "Too bad, Ino. My parents will get on our case if you don't, and they're really annoying so you might as well get used to me."

ImI just feel a bit strange around you right now, you know? She tried to shrink and disappear right where she stood but failed. Like, were being shoved together so quickly and its hard on me.

He pushed the covers away on his bed to lie down on one side. Cmere Ino. He said, closing his eyes. She slowly walked over to the bed. Im tired; lets sleep and youll forget about it.

Ino scoffed. Its practically noon though!

He shrugged, rolling over in his bed to look at her. Mom will wake us up when shes made lunch.

Ino was silent for a second before she burst out in giggles. Okay, okay, thats not really what I meant, but whatever. You win. She smiled and carefully laid down on the bed beside him.

She was stiff as he pulled the covers up over them, but after a minute or so, when Shikamarus breathing became regular and she knew he was asleep, Ino slowly relaxed and re-arranged herself on the bed to be most comfortable. She was asleep shortly.

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"SHIKA-A-aww, how precious! Shikato! Come here!" A voice slowly broke through Inos drowsiness. "They are so cute! Look at Shikamaru; hes so forward for once!" 

"Too cute, Yoshino.What a softy I've got for a son!"

Ino tried to ignore the voices and snuggled closer to the warmth of the bed. "Shuddup." She muttered.

"Yeah, shut it" Another voice piped in. Ino recognized it as...her husband? Ino instantly felt cold as she realized that she was cuddling with her husband in bed. Something that would have been perfectly normal, had their marriage been normal. However, it was certainly not a normal marriage, and she opened her eyes.

Shikamaru was laying on his front with an arm over her as she laid on her side nestled under his chin. The covers had been kicked down to the end of the bed.

Well, at least their clothes were still on. But Ino ignored this and sat up with a look on her face that screamed 'I've been violated! Help!' She twisted around to get off the bed, kicking her legs over the side, only to come face to face with Shikato and Yoshino.

"Aaah!" She screeched loud enough for Shikamaru to jolt up as if burned and turn to check on her, in the process noticing his parents.

"Oh, its you. Is lunch ready?" He asked like it was no big deal. Ino bristled. What, did he have girls in his bed all the time or something and was accustomed to having things like this happen to him? She frowned. Ino would NOT be disgraced by having her man caught with a mistress!

Yoshino chuckled a little. "Yes, sleepyhead. I called you five times!"

She left the room but Shikato lingered long enough to wink suggestively at his son, who wore an annoyed expression. Troublesome he muttered, wiping his mouth of any drooling he might have done while sleeping.

Ino stood up and, without any further adieu, stalked off after his parents.


	5. Jealousy And Love Are Sisters

**AN: I think there was an error with the quotations last chapter... IDK how THAT happened...Please enjoy the chapter, and remember to review! Thanks for the nice comments I've received so far, I'm very grateful!!!**

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Shikamaru sat in his bed. Ino had left quick as a whip without saying anything to him about his parents or him or the situation, which he thought was weird. However, he lazily stood up and ambled after his wife leisurely.

Lunch was ramen, and he sat across from Ino. She mostly ignored him straight through lunch, but when he was close to finishing, she kicked his leg under the table.

Shikamaru fought from voicing his pain and glared at her. She mouthed we need to talk after lunch with an angry face before returning to being impassive.

He spent the remainder of lunch working himself into a semi-fit over why she would be so upset, but kept a calm look. When he stood up and motioned for her to follow him, his mother yelled after him.

"Dont go back to sleep or you wont be able to sleep tonight!" Shikamaru turned around to nod and saw his father winking suggestively again. He gave a shuddery and annoyed breath. Man was his father annoying.

He led Ino into the game room so he wouldnt be tempted to sleep again. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" He asked over his shoulder as he dug through the stacks of games and toys to find a game for them to play.

"What are you looking for?" She asked, ignoring his question.

"My shogi board so we can play it." He responded, making sure to give enough information so she wouldnt continue to question him uselessly.

"Oh, alright." She returned, lying down on her stomach to watch him.

"I thought you needed to talk to me?" Shikamaru asked.

She glared at him. "I DO, but I'm trying to think of how to phrase it."

He shrugged, pulling out the board and bringing it over to her, also laying down. Shikamaru stared at her while she looked at the board. He made the first move.

Ino quickly made a counter move, not even sparing a second to think of which move would be best. "So..." She started. "Your parents earlier..."

"What about them?" Shikamaru asked, thinking over his next move.

"Well, they didnt seem so surprised to see us sleeping together."

"Thats true." He said noncommittally while he moved his piece.

She slid another piece without any thought again. "You didnt seem so surprised to see them either."

"I told you they'd wake us up when lunch was ready."

She played with her platinum hair, twisting it and tugging at it while he considered his next move. He looked up at her when he could sense her restlessness.

She was too beautiful for her own good, surely. She had the longest hair Shikamaru had ever seen, and it was currently free of any binds and resting all over the floor around her. Despite her light hair, her eyelashes were long and dark, framing pretty pastel blue eyes. Her facial features were defined and classic-looking. She was very thin; though she seemed to eat a healthy portion the two times he had dined with her. She had pale skin, as if her parents had locked her away and she rarely felt the warmth of sunlight on her skin.

Ino bit her lip. "Shikamaru-kun...are you...do you?" She tried to form a proper sentence but failed.

He moved a piece. "Do I what?"

She moved a piece carelessly right into his trap. "Do you have girls over often?" She said hesitantly. "I dont care if you have in the past, but you better stop it now."

He didnt really understand what she was saying. "What?"

She went on, looking more confident. "Well, its of no consequence to me if your parents have caught you in the act before, but I wont stand for you having other women over when we are married."

She stood up. Maybe it was to show dominance, or maybe it was because she was restless, he didnt know. "I wont be disgraced by you even if our relationship isnt real."

Shikamaru slowly caught on. "Huh? Wha-wait! You..."

"I'm not jealous, if thats what youre going to ask; hell no!" She told him adamantly, making sure he didnt get any ideas. "But were married. You have to be faithful to me. Its a real rule, you know."

He scoffed lightly. Of course he knew that. "I've never been caught in the act, Ino, and I dont really understand how you came to that conclusion, but nevertheless, I haven't, okay?" He told her sternly. "I haven't even done the act. And Im not about to have a mistress! Geez, how troublesome!" he trailed off at the end with a mumble.

Ino crossed her arms and sat down again with an 'hmph'. "Good. She said. Because I would seriously hurt you if you answered otherwise."

Shikamaru made a move that took her piece with a smile. "Like you could."


	6. Every Garden Has Its Weeds

**AN: I forgot to update yesterday! I'm sorry for that. Please enjoy this chapter.**

**Also, I had to resubmit this...for some reason FFnet gets rid of my quotes...ugh.**

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A week or two passed until they moved into their new house. It was fairly large and in a nice neighborhood, but Ino felt uncomfortable with the sheer multitude of rooms. After they had decorated the rooms--two bathrooms, a kitchen, a laundry room, a living room, a dining room, a bedroom, a study--there were still a few rooms left over.

Her mother had mentioned that they would fill up in time. With kids. Ino had shuddered at the thought.

Sure, she was comfortable enough with Shikamaru now that she hadnt asked for her own room when they were decorating their bedroom, but they hadnt even kissed yet. Her mother must have been getting the wrong idea because she and Shikamaru spent a lot of time in his room together. Shikato was probably making suggestive comments to her father or something and he had told her mother.

Anyhow, it was a comfortable place and she was glad that their parents had paid for it. Currently, Ino was sitting in the downstairs living room reading a book. It was one of their off daysshe worked at her parents flower shop and he in the mayors office.

"Ino?" Shikamaru called to her from another room.

"Yes?" She responded, putting down the book.

"Lets go on a walk." He said, entering the room with a jacket on.

Ino shrugged. "Okay, but can we stop by my friends house? I havent seen her in ages!" Ino held out her arm and waited.

Shikamaru sighed and walked over, grabbing her arm and helping her stand up. She was trying to turn him into a chivalrous gentleman and had been doing this often. It bugged him, but he always did it anyway. He was easy to boss around, which Ino liked. Her parents had always ordered her on what to do and treated her like she wasnt capable of anything but sitting there and looking nice, but Shikamaru seemed to accept that she wore the pants in their relationship and didnt even try to overcome her.

"Good boy." She patted his shoulder with a smile. He shrugged her off, so she sighed and held out her hand again. "Well?"

He hung his head but grabbed her hand and made for the door. She held back with a laugh. "What is it?" He asked with an irritated tone.

She giggled, bringing her free hand up to cover her smile. "I meant for you to bring me my coat!"

He promptly dropped her hand and stormed off to get it. She loved it when he got worked up over little things, even though she herself did the same thing. When he came back he helped her put it on without a word and she smiled warmly at him. "Thank you!" she said. He went for the door, but she grabbed his hand, grinned, and walked out of their house with him in tow.

They ambled down the street, hand in hand, not really bothering with looking at the stores they passed. Ino mostly led the way, since she knew where they were going, but Shikamaru vaguely enjoyed the walk.

When they reached a humble two-story house out of the shopping district, Ino ran for the door and happily knocked on it. Shikamaru stood off to the side a little, though they were still holding hands.

A girl their age answered the door, and her face broke into a wide smile as she leaped forward to embrace Ino. "Ino! Omigosh, I havent seen you in the longest time!"

She had rose pink hair and sea foam green eyes. A weird combination from Shikamarus point of view, but he wasnt about to rudely comment on it. Ino lifted her free arm to hug her back. "Sakura!" she exclaimed as if surprised, even though she really wasnt. "I know!"

The girl named Sakura, who he remembered being mentioned as her best friend, stepped back and looked over to see him. "And who's this?" She asked, glancing at their entwined hands. "The...husband?"

Ino nodded and Shikamaru put forward a hand, which Sakura readily clasped and shook. "Nara Shikamaru. Nice to meet you."

Ino grinned. "Can we come in?" Sakura jumped a little and hastily retreated into her house and gestured for them to enter. They walked into a living room, but before Ino sat down, Shikamaru wordlessly took her coat off for her and his as well, resting it over the arm of the couch. Ino was shocked that her training was working so well and smiled at him warmly.

He shrugged and they sat down. "Sooooo" Sakura began. "You are married! God, its hard to believe."

Ino glared a little. "Didn't think I could get myself a man?"

Sakura laughed. "No, I knew you could, of course. But its arranged anyway, and thats why its so weird." She frowned. "I didnt even get to be your maid of honor!"

Ino smiled fondly. "But Ill be yours when you get married, right?"

Sakura nodded. ''Yeah, when THAT happens. Still, you're the first in our class to get married. Must be proud, eh?"

Ino shrugged and leaned back a little. Shikamaru was simply watching them talk with a lazy look on his face. She glanced at him and back to Sakura. "Well, its a bit of an empty feeling. Would have been nice if I could have had a public proposal to shove it in their faces, but--OH!"

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, somewhat worried with her sudden change.

She smiled at Sakura and held out her hand. Shikamaru sighed. "What do you want me to do now?" He asked, annoyed.

She giggled. "Nothing, I just want Sakura to look at my hand."

Sakura leaned forward in her seat across from them. "OH!" she squealed, grabbing Ino's hand and tugging it towards herself. Ino was pulled forward and Shikamaru fought a laugh at how silly she looked for that moment. "OH, its so beautiful!''

Shikamaru looked at her hand, not really sure what was going on. "Yeah, Shikamaru bought it for me on his own and gave it to me when we were first introduced. Isnt that so sweet?"

He realized they were talking about the ring and turned red, shrinking back in his seat. He didn't want them fussing over him or anything.

"Gawd." Sakura mumbled. "THAT is a nice ring." She looked up at Ino and smiled. "I'm glad you got one; I know you talked about how much you wanted one that whole week after your father told you."

She blushed. "Yeah--I gave him one of my gold rings too so we'd sort of match."

Shikamaru hadnt known that she had really wanted a ring. Well, that only made him more pleased that he had done it. He smiled at her when she wasnt looking.

Sakura continued the conversation. "So, you two...are?" She asked, throwing a suggestive look Shikamaru's way. He was getting fed up with everyone making all these suggestive looks at him and never Ino.

Ino laughed uncomfortably. "Shikamaru-kun is nicer than I expected, so now were friends, I guess." She shot a stern look at Sakura, just DARING her to say anything more on the topic.

"Oh, well thats good!"

"Yeah, and hes so obedient too. Its refreshing."

"Oh yeah? Obedient?"

"Uh-huh. Like, I told him not to have any mistresses and so he said he wouldnt."

Shikamaru scoffed from the side. "Like I couldve in the first place!"

Ino shoved his shoulder irritably and he grinned at her. He loved it when she got worked up over little things, even though he himself did the same thing.


	7. Nothing Sharpens Sight Like Envy

**AN: Short-ish chapter. Meh. at least the quotes are correct on this one...I misslabeled the last chapter though, i wanted this one to be titles what I named chapter 6! So I'm a little frustrated, but whatever, I suppose.  
**

**Hey, did you guys watch the Superbowl? Sad outcome for me... I have a feeling Shikamaru wouldn't be interested in football...! Then again, neither am I...  
**

**Anyway, this chapter has a lot of sex in it! Ooooh! Read it and weep! Hehe **

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Months passed and they grew steadily closer. Shikamaru was a better husband than she could've hoped for, and she thought she was a pretty good wife when she would do their laundry or cook dinner.

One night he confessed to her that he had wanted an average woman to be his wifeone who wouldn't make a fuss and did all the chores and was pleasant and took care of him...but that, even though she wasn't really what he had been wanting, he still was glad to have a woman like her for a wife.

Shikamaru's praise meant the world to Ino.

They were no longer awkward with eachother at all. They definitely would have become friends even if they had met in a more casual way than suddenly being married. But they weren't romantic with eachother or anything. They may have been husband and wife, but they were still only friends.

Ino knew her mother was waiting for some sort of announcement that she was pregnant. She had mentioned it at their last get-together. Right in front of everyone.

Ino had been appalled. She couldn't believe her mother thought she was already in some sort of sexual relationship with her husband! Maybe if they had a wedding night she would have given in to tradition, but without any sort of dramatic tradition forced on her there was no reason or push to make it happen.

Or maybe if Shikamaru made a move on her...it's not like she was opposed to having sex with him, but Ino didn't feel the need to do it or to try and make it happen. She knew it would happen eventually, but it was not something she was dreading, or really looking forward to.

Shikamaru was very blase about it, too. He knew that there were expectations of them but he didn't want to force himself on Ino. He didn't NEED to have sex anyway, though he certainly wouldn't mind it if it were to happen. Ino was very beautiful, and when they walked together, men on the street looked at him with such jealously and at her with crazy lust. Shikamaru knew they all wanted to switch places with him.

* * *

Today was a special day--Ino had planned a "family outing" for the two of them and had also invited her friend Sakura to come with them. They were going out to lunch and then shopping for some more pastimes for Ino and Shikamaru to waste time with. 

"Oh my god, Ino..." Sakura was saying. "Have you seen Sasuke-kun recently?"

"No, why? Did something happen to him?" Ino responded, looking concerned. Shikamaru wondered who they were talking about.

"Sasuke-kun broke his arm!" Sakura exclaimed.

"How did THAT happen!?" Ino screeched, TOO concerned.

"He got in another fight with Naruto!"

"But how could NARUTO break his arm? Sasuke-kun is so strong!"

"I think he snuck up on him and got the upper hand in the fight! Or at least, that's what I've heard. Naruto's bragging about it all over town like he should be proud that the only way he can injure Sasuke-kun is by sneaking around."

Ino looked apologetic. "Poor Sasuke-kun..." She trailed off, but in a moment her face lit up. "Let's go check on him!"

Sakura's face lit up and mirrored Ino's. She agreed and they pulled a confused Shikamaru to the hospital.

"Who in the world is Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked on the way.

Ino and Sakura looked upset. "How could you not know?" Ino wondered aloud.

"Uchiha Sasuke-kun is only the greatest boy on the face of the planet!" Sakura replied. Ino immediately agreed. "He's SO wonderful!"

"And strong!" Ino contributed.

"And gorgeous!"

"And brave!"

"And smart!"

"And his VOICE...!"

"And his SMIRK...!"

"And his EYES...!"

"And his--" Sakura began, but Shikamaru cut her off.

"Okay, I get it, Sasuke is the picture of perfection! Whatever!" he scoffed and looked away from the swooning girls. Ino was HIS wife, not Sasuke's!

"He IS perfect!" Ino continued shamelessly. "He was in our class and me and Sakura admired him SO much!" She grinned and elbowed the girl beside her, who immediately blushed. "Do you recall, Sakura?"

Shikamaru shrugged and slowed down a bit so the giggling girls were ahead of him. They kept walking at the same pace and didn't notice he was behind them. "I'm...going home." Shikamaru called ahead to Ino.

She turned her head to look at him. Ino smiled widely and waved. "Okay, see you later tonight!" She responded and then turned around and continued to giggle with Sakura. Ino looked so irresistible and off limits in that moment that Shikamaru understood completely why all the men who saw them together looked like they did. He understood their jealousy, because he was feeling it himself.

Jealousy, not at Sakura for hanging out with Ino, but at Sasuke for having Ino's heart while he only had her body.


	8. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**AN: Another shorter chapter! The next one is kinda short too, but it's my favorite! There's some big (in my opinion) romance coming up soon, so stick with me, my dear reviewers! I love you all!!! **

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Shikamaru spent the next week avoiding her--a difficult task when they had a whole house to themselves. He began to go out in the evenings with his friend Chouji, much to Ino's annoyance. She had yet to meet the boy, and felt resentful towards Shikamaru for this.

Mostly though, she was upset that he seemed to be finding every possible excuse to be alone. Their shared room, in which they had normally spent lazy afternoons together, was now cold and empty. Ino couldn't stand being in their room while he was out with a friend. It reminded her of the feeling she had whenever she thought of Shikamaru's imaginary mistress. Ino knew that with Shikamaru, there was no such woman, but it was a sick thought that came to her head in the evenings that he came home late.

In response, Ino spent much of her time with Sakura. They had visited Sasuke once or twice, wishing him a swift recovery and bad mouthing Naruto for morale. However, Sakura suddenly became very busy at work due to a possible promotion, and Ino stepped back to allow her friend the opportunity, rather than eat up all her time and jeopardize the position.

Thusly, Ino found herself on her parent's doorstep the sixth day of Shikamaru's separation. They had been a last resort, in a way. She didn't want her mother talking about a possible pregnancy when things were so strange between the two, but Ino felt an acute sense of loneliness that prompted her.

The door opened to reveal Inoshi, before she had even knocked. "Ino!" He exclaimed, "What are you doing here? Where's Nara's kid?"

Ino fought both a shudder and a grin when her father mentioned her husband. "Daddy, his name is Shikamaru, not 'Nara's kid', and he's out with a friend of his. Were you just leaving?" She asked after looking him once over. Ino frowned slightly.

Inoshi leaned down and patted her cheek affectionately. "Shikamaru it is, then. I'm off to see Nara anyhow. Want me to tell him anything?" He casually threw out. "Like about you and your Shikamaru?"

"Daddy!" Ino half-shrieked. "I'm not pregnant! I wish you and Mother would stop asking me, because it just makes everything twice as awkward, and...!" She trailed off with an exasperated sigh. "Just...! Just tell him that we look forward to seeing him and his wife, but don't you DARE bring up even the POSSIBILITY of me being pregnant!" She buried her face into her hands, suddenly overcome with the sheer absurdness of it all, saying all this right on their doorstep.

Inoshi drew her into a little hug, drawing her into the house meanwhile. "Aww, I'm sure it will happen sometime; don't you worry about it, princess."

Ino continued to hide her face. "He doesn't even TOUCH me at all; a baby is so out of the picture!" she muttered under her breath, letting her father lead her to their living room where her mother was sitting.

She stood up. "Ino, darling?"

Ino sat down heavily on the couch, suddenly remembering when Shikamaru had been sitting right in this very spot waiting to meet her, ring in pocket. Thinking, maybe he touched the box anxiously and wondered what she'd be like. If she would like it. She pulled her shaking hands away from her red face and looked to her mother. "Can I stay here tonight? I-I miss my bed..."

Her mother patted her on the shoulder. "Of course, darling. Of course."


	9. A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed

**AN: I am SO SORRY!!!!!! I totally intended to update the last few days, but I kept getting sidetracked by stupid stressful things! I'm so so sorry! To make it up to you, I'll also post the next chapter today! Okay? I love those who didn't forget about my story over the last 5 or 6 days! And here's the story! BTW, this is my favorite chapter even though its short.**

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"It's pretty late, Shikamaru, isn't it?" Chouji said randomly. Or at least, to Shikamaru it was random. He had been thinking about the Akimichi dinner he had just taken part in, not the rapidly darkening sky.

"What?" Chouji pointed to his wrist. Despite the lack of a watch, the meaning was clear to Shikamaru. "Well, yeah, I suppose so. And?"

Chouji blinked. Normally Shikamaru would just wait for Chouji to explain himself or just forget about it. "Well, won't your wife be worried?"

Shikamaru cringed noticeably. "Oh, I'm sure she's not."

Chouji shrugged. "You've hardly spent any time with her at all this past week. You keep coming over day after day so we can do this," He gestured to their surroundings with one large hand, motioning to the road they had been leisurely walking along. "And make some half-hearted small talk. I'm sure she's confused as I am about why you're doing it."

Shikamaru put on his most annoyed face, eyebrows creased and irritation written on his features. "What, I can't hang out with my best friend for a while without everyone getting on my case? So troublesome..."

"But Shikamaru, it's been almost a whole week since this started!" Chouji whined. "My father is like an inch away from telling your dad that you're avoiding her, and you can guess as well as I can on how THAT would play out!"

Shikamaru sighed. "I know. But I just can't see her yet..."

"Why not? You think she doesn't like you or something? If she did before, she won't by now."

"But I feel like such a waste of time. She should've been married to the Uchiha kid she's so obsessed with, not ME." He sighed disconsolately. Shikamaru had told Chouji about what had happened. Chouji never really said anything about it until now.

He had been hoping Shikamaru would get over this on his own. He was so smart, but it didn't seem to help him when it came to women. It never had. "Look, Shikamaru, I asked around about Sasuke and their class..." He ran his fingers through his hair and stopped walking. He stared right at Shikamaru. "Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke have been on-off dating since about five years ago. Before that, she and your wife had a friendly rivalry since they both wanted him. But it wasn't just them...all the girls in that class were after Uchiha Sasuke."

Shikamaru wouldn't look at Chouji, but he continued. "Do you really think she's in love with him? Because I'm certain that she and most all of those other girls weren't, and still aren't. He was very popular; I'm sure she couldn't help it. Besides," Shikamaru looked up a little at his large friend. "Do you really think she'd betray her best friend? Do you really think that lowly of her?"

Shikamaru stopped breathing for what seemed to be five straight minutes, but it was in reality only a few long seconds before air returned to his lungs and he began to walk. Chouji stayed where he was.

"No, I DON'T think that lowly of Ino." Shikamaru said, not looking back. "I think I'll go home now. It IS rather late."

Chouji chuckled. "See you later, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru turned and walked backwards a few steps. "See you. And thanks, Chouji."

"Anytime."

Shikamaru turned his body to face forwards again as he walked back to their house. Hands in his pocket, he was the picture of leisure, but he could barely control his feet enough to stop them from running back to her. He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't sure how. Yet Shikamaru was certain it would all work out. He was smiling.

That was, of course, until he reached their house just as the sun finally finished setting to find it empty. He lay down on their cold bed, missing the warmth she normally added, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut.


	10. We Make War That We May Live In Peace

**AN: Well, while last chapter was my favorite, this one has the best opening, if you ask me. Those of you waiting for more romance, here comes some! Please enjoy! **

* * *

Ino awoke the next day feeling different. Not quite able to call it 'refreshed' or 'calmed', she pondered the emotion in bed for a few minutes. Then it hit her. 

Shikamaru wasn't there.

No matter how late he came home, he was always there beside her when she woke up. She smiled, begrudgingly, affectionately, thinking that laziness had it's upsides. Being able to turn over and see him laying there, a rare moment when he didn't look annoyed before his eyebrows knotted again and a muttered 'Troublesome' passed his lips...That was just one thing that Ino had grown fond of. The empty space beside her filled her body with a name for the feeling.

Regret.

She had never been the sort of person to look back on her mistakes and feel guilt over them. Ino saw every mistake as a warning, each misstep as a sign. Even when the bet she had made with Sakura cost her years' worth of hair and quite a bit of anger from her mother, she had only brushed it off. She could not go back and stop herself from anything and saw no reason to wish it so.

Yet looking at the bed made her wish she could somehow rewind the clock. Have stayed home last night, just so she could wake up to have him beside her.

Ino stumbled out of bed and crawled to her dresser. There were still some of her clothes inside, and she pulled out a dark purple wool dress and a very pale purple turtleneck to wear beneath it. Surprised to find these clothes, Ino searched through some more drawers. She had left more clothes than she had thought.

For whatever reason, this cheered Ino up. She went to take a bath, being as quiet as possible. She didn't want to wake her parents. Ino had gone right to bed the night before with no explanation for her behavior. But she knew what would come. Coddling.

It was her only hostile thought about her parents. That they treated her too delicately. Whenever something bad happened they sheltered her. They endlessly comforted her. Which was certainly a good thing, Ino had thought. But maybe, had they been more stern, she would not be so effected by Shikamaru's dismissal. She had not been prepared. And so she would avoid her parents this morning. Because she knew that if asked it would all come out, even the coddling part. And that wouldn't do.

Ino was dressed and out the door shortly. It was rather early, but there were plenty of people around the town. Somehow she found herself anxiously anticipating Shikamaru and mumbles of 'Troublesome' in his sleep. She smiled at the thought as she entered the house, closing the door gently behind her. Ino tiptoed to their shared room, smile growing, and opened the door.

The smile faded. Shikamaru was not asleep. Which was impossible at this time of morning, wasn't it? But Ino didn't dwell on that thought. Mainly because he looked a mess. She guessed that he had not even slept that entire night--that he had just sat there on the edge of the bed, leaned over on his elbows and staring straight ahead. She couldn't get her mouth to work from surprise.

His eyes met hers, and he somehow pulled himself up to stand sluggishly. "Ino, where have you been?" he sighed the question with a breath he had seemed to be holding for as long as he'd been sitting there.

"S-Shikamaru-kun, I-I-I..." Ino stopped, trying to gather herself. "I slept at my parents'." she finally choked out. "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

He ignored the question. "Oh, okay." He seemed to collapse on the inside.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked, hoping he'd answer this time. She wanted to reach out and pat his face like her father did when she was upset, but didn't know whether he'd want her to touch him.

He massaged his temples. "I'm sorry. I've been a real ass lately." Ino only stared at him. He sat back down on the bed, then swung his feet over and leaned back onto the pillows, arms behind his head. "I got jealous without really understanding and worked myself up over it."

Ino thought she could break at any moment. She took a tentative step forward. "Jealous? What do you mean?"

He scooted down and patted the bed next to him. She slid into the space he had occupied and immediately blushed. She had missed sitting with him in bed in the morning. How their bodies would warm eachother's as they discussed something trivial like that morning's breakfast. But this was not something trivial.

"You and Sakura wanted to see the Uchiha so badly and I felt...I hated that you probably wished he was your husband instead of me. But that I was still your husband, whether you liked it or not. So I tried to avoid you." He looked down. "At first I thought it was so you didn't have to deal with having a husband you didn't want, but then I realized it was because I was so jealous of Uchiha that I couldn't stand to look at you."

Ino squeaked a little at this point, from trying to hold her breath. "But...! Sakura--"

Shikamaru smirked. Ino was reminded of the look he gave her their first meeting, when he handed her the ring, of the irony she hadn't quite recognized. "Sakura is with him. My friend told me last night and I rushed right home to talk to you. He said you and every other girl in the class was obsessed with him." He paused. "But...NOT necessarily in LOVE with him."

"Are you...?" Ino choked out a question. She wasn't sure though, what she was asking, only that it was important.

He shrugged in response to her meaningless words. "I wanted to give you a chance. Let you think for yourself and decide if you care enough about him to regret marrying me. I can't make up your mind FOR you and then act on my opinions. It's not fair to you. I wanted to let you decide if you were regretful or just tell me that I was fabricating something out of nothing..."

Ino pulled her knees up to her chest. "Shikamaru, I regret nothing but that I wasn't here waiting for you so this would be over sooner..." A tear fell down her face. "I regret nothing! Sasuke is nothing! Don't ever think otherwise!" She wiped another tear away. "YOU are my husband, not Sasuke. YOU are the one I missed this morning and all of this past week, not him. That is what is true."

Then she gathered all the nerve in her body and lifted her hand to his face, patting him in the same affectionate manner that her father tended to have. It always made her feel at least a little better when he would do so. But Shikamaru let out a long, shuddering sigh, closing his eyes. He reached up and put his hand over hers on his face. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead, to reassure him.

When he opened his eyes she could see how relieved and comforted he was, and the smile that had originally graced her face returned. "Hey, I didn't know you had an inferiority complex, Shikamaru-kun," She said, albeit a little shakily, but accompanied it with a small laugh.

He turned red, surprising her. "Sh-shut up." He muttered in response to another laugh. "Let's go to sleep."

And they did just that.


	11. The Secret Of A Happy Marriage Remains

**AN: Thanks for all your reviews! Hope you had a very nice valentines day! **

**I like this chapter a lot! You better too! **

* * *

They woke up again at around noon. Somehow Shikamaru had awoken before Ino, and was mumbling unintelligible things in her ear as she reached consciousness.

"What're you sayin'?" She grumbled, turning around in the circle of his arms. Her fingers sneaked up to play with his hair. He pushed himself back a bit from her and grabbed her hands.

"Tickles," He said in explanation. "Wanna make us some lunch?"

She didn't respond so they laid there for another 10 minutes or so. Re-acclimating themselves to eachother. That one week seemed so much longer than any past. Then Ino sat up, towering over Shikamaru, who was laying on his back unconcernedly. "You got my clothes all ruffled. How about you iron them while I cook us some tempura?"

Shikamaru rolled over until he was slumped on the floor, Ino giggling at the lump that was her husband. He did this most mornings, always saying he needed something hard to jolt him from sleep. She'd offered to slap him but he preferred to rough himself up. She walked into their adjoining bathroom.

Shikamaru stood up and leaned against the wall by the door. "What're you doing?" He called. She stuck her head and an arm out and threw a bundle of clothes right in his face. Shikamaru fumbled with it for a minute, confused. "Wha...?"

Ino smiled widely at him, only her face and one naked shoulder visible. Her hair was up in a ponytail that swished back and forth. Shikamaru blinked, his face quickly turning red. "I'm changing out of my clothes so you can iron them, dummy. Grab me my nightshirt, will you? I'm completely naked here." She gabbed.

Shikamaru could feel his face get redder and redder with each passing word. Somehow he couldn't take his eyes away from her pale skin so close to him. "Uh...I...um..."

She stuck her arm back out and slapped him firmly on the shoulder. "Shikamaru, get me the shirt! Didn't you hear me? Or do you WANT me to have to walk around without any clothes on?!" She paused, stared at him for a brief second, and then made a squealing sort of sound and shot back into the bathroom.

Shikamaru didn't know what to say, but he had been released from the strange feeling that had taken him over at the sight of her bare flesh. "Ino...?"

Ino didn't open the door, but spoke very loudly to make up for it. "SHIKAMARU! Take my clothes and go iron them downstairs!" She was almost yelling.

Shikamaru did as he was told, almost reluctantly. As soon as she heard the door shut, Ino exited the bathroom. Her face was about as red as Shikamaru's had been. She quickly dressed in an overlarge shirt and a pair of shorts. As soon as she was adequately clothed, Ino sat down heavily on the bed.

Her blush had not yet faded. She reviewed what had just happened in her head. Shed mentioned that she was naked and Shikamaru had seemed to shut down, almost. Or had it begun when she opened the bathroom door? But either way, it was obvious that he reacted to the fact that she wasnt wearing any clothes.

Somehow Inos face grew even redder. She knew that she was attractive. It was no secret in the Yamanka household. In fact, her father had beaten up a tidy sum of men that had romantically pursued her, and then gone around town to brag over the number. Ino couldnt deny that she flaunted it, as well. She enjoyed the near immediate attraction men seemed to have towards her.

But Shikamaru? She recalled his face when he first saw her, remembering the intensity of his gaze. He had studied her, yes, but it was different that how other men would look her up and down. In fact, Shikamaru gave no signs at all of being attracted to her. Ino had been almost pleased that she would be viewed as an equal instead of a sex object, for once.

On top of that, she seemed to be the only one that grew embarrassed about their relationship and insinuations of the status of their marriage. Every time her mother mentioned their hypothetical child, Shikamaru would show little more than slight upset and a great deal of annoyance, while she would turn bright red and feel like fainting. The most emotional she had ever seen him was just the night before, and that went beyond her comprehension. Still, he had never seemed to be physically attracted to her.

Yet just a moment ago, Shikamaru had turned completely red at the thought of her naked. It would have been one thing if he had seen her. Understandable that he would color, if even just in sympathy for Inos resulting embarrassment. But the thought shouldnt have evoked such a reaction from her husband. He should have gotten a little pink and brought her the shirt shed asked for, not stared and stuttered!

Ino didnt know how she was supposed to react to this. She couldnt confront Shikamaru about itthat would only cause even more embarrassment! Avoiding him was out of the picture. After what had just happened between them, she knew that avoidance would probably result in a divorce or him moving out. He really did have an inferiority complex. Hed likely assume she wanted someone else, no matter if she said otherwise. That was something Shikamaru would believe just once.

Ino stood up and left their bedroom to go cook lunch. Shed just ignore these thoughts for now; distract herself from thinking about it until she got another sign. If there ever would be another.


	12. Each Kiss A Heartquake

**AN: Sorry about such a long hiatus guys! I really am. It was sudden and unexpected and really stupid. I won't give any excuses, they're pointless. Anyway, here's the next chapter, dedicated to ****Maiomi AKA Shikamaru'sCrazyLoudEmoMaiomi for getting me to post this up! Thanks, hon, I appreciated it a lot. To all the rest of you, enjoy this chapter! The rest of the story (I've finished it!) will be posted up shortly.**

Another week passed, relatively uneventful. Ino had made lunch and Shikamaru had ironed her clothes. Neither brought it up.

But that didnt stop Ino from thinking about it.

Nor did it lessen the amount of times she DID think it over.

In fact, the longer they ignored it, the more Ino brought it up mentally. But still, she left it as an unbreachable subject. She grew more and more restless, and kept forcing him to go out on the town with her.

Shikamaru had played along and had not mentioned what had happened, but he also spent a lot of time thinking of her. Ino thought only about motive, but he was more focused on her creamy skin and her bright smile.

On this particular morning, he had woken up with these things lingering in his head. Ino was awake next to him, painting her fingernails. She hadn't noticed him up yet, so he replayed the dream with glazed-over eyes.

Ino was running her fingers through her hair with a playful smirk on her face. She moved a piece on the shogi board, as carelessly as she had the first time. She was wearing only her underwear and one of his shirts, her long legs entirely exposed, while Shikamaru was fully clothed. He moved one of his own pieces and captured her's with a leer. "Well, you know what that means..." he said to her, sounding apprehensive. She nodded, plastering a coy look on her face as she fingered the hem of the shirt and begun to pull it up in a very slow manner.

But before she could shed another article of clothing, he had woken up. Shikamaru blamed this on the nail polish--the smell of which could awaken even his father who was possibly the deepest sleeper in the entire family. He grumbled slightly. It 

wasn't every night he played strip shogi with Ino...even though it was just a dream.

Ino looked over at him with a smile. "Hello, sunshine." she teased, "Do you like this color on me?" She almost shoved her hand at Shikamaru to show him her light blue nails.

He woke up some more at this, a blush creeping onto his face, thinking about how he had dreamt about the girl and she was clueless to it. He glanced at the nails and back at her face, glad that he hadn't mumbled something while sleeping to alert her. "It's the same color as your eyes." he told her appreciatively. "Therefore it's perfect."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Shika..." She continued with the nail polish as he watched her carefully.

She had begun to kiss his cheek very often, after he had avoided her. Maybe it was to reassure him that he was wanted here with her, or maybe it was in hopes of the ever-resulting blush. Shikamaru enjoyed it, but he had yet to return any of these gestures. Ino blew on her nails a few moments later and smiled at him.

She was thinking about the way he had stared at her. She felt sort of flattered, despite all the uneasy feelings like embarrassment that were at the forefront. Ino half-hoped he would do something else to make up her mind for her, so she tried baiting him with sweet little kisses on the cheek. Shikamaru barely reacted to it, but she did think he was very cute when he blushed. She wondered what he would do if she kissed him on the mouth, her gaze falling slowly to his lips.

Shikamaru didn't know why Ino's eyes had dropped; nor did he know what she was thinking of. He just smiled at her unsurely and her eyes snapped back up to his. "Hehe...Ino, you okay?" He asked carefully. If Ino was in one of her moods she could very easily snap at him. He had been surprised the first time it happened but it wasn't that often anyhow so he didn't complain.

She turned instantly pink. "Everything's fine!" she squeaked, turning immediately to her nails and inspecting them with way too much care.

Shikamaru grinned. It was rare to see Ino this flustered over nothing. Normally she would get red if anyone made assumptions about the two of them, but besides 

that she seemed confident enough to not be bothered by little things. He wrapped an arm around her narrow shoulders and pulled her against him. "Yeah, yeah, sure." He replied, patting her twice on the knee.

Ino got pinker. "Shikamaru!" she whined, looking up into his face with slight annoyance, but there was a smile in her eyes...

Which, Shikamaru thought not so long after, was probably the reason he had leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.


	13. Actions Speak Louder Than Words 1

**AN: Thanks to all that have reviewed You know who you are (lazy me—like Shika!)**

Ino was trying not to smile as Shikamaru pulled her closer to him. "Shikamaru!" She exclaimed, feigning annoyance. He really was such a card sometimes. She could feel herself getting more and more flushed. Shikamaru's grin faded off his face as he stared into her eyes, and before her mind could register this, he was kissing her.

It was really nothing special in itself--his mouth gently pressed against her own for all of three seconds before he pulled away. She hadn't even kissed him back. But somehow she could feel her heart thumping in her chest and her skin tingling pleasantly. Ino wanted to smile at him, to do something to show she was okay with this, but her gaze went straight to her fingernails and stayed there. She could feel him suddenly release her shoulders and he made a nervous grunting sound, jerking away from her. Shikamaru was still for a moment, and she knew he was looking at her, but her eyes remained wide, staring at her hands, so he awkwardly laid back down and turned over so he was facing the opposite direction.

As he pretended to go to sleep, Ino tried to sort her thoughts. Well, this was a clear sign that he was attracted to her, which was what she had been waiting for. Yet, in all the times she thought of it over the past week, she had never gotten further than this. So Shikamaru gave her another sign. Now what? What was she supposed to do next?

She should have kissed him back. Ino cursed herself hopelessly. Now they would have to TALK about it. Actions were so much easier for her. Maybe if she just tapped him on the shoulder and kissed him right now they could go on with their lives? But that would be too simple, she thought. No, she'd have to tell him it was okay that he kissed her, which would lead to him questioning her feelings, and she could already see them not sleeping in the same bed for another week. She didn't even KNOW how she felt towards him, anyway.

Why hadn't their fathers thought a little more when they married them? They could have forced them to date or something first! Given them an actual ceremony so she could have a wedding night and just get this awkward stuff over with! Maybe then their feelings could develop in a normal way, instead of this slow breaking-through-barriers that they were currently doing. They didn't even treat 

eachother like romantic partners. It was as if they were just rooming together and happened to share a bed. How were they supposed to move forward when there were all these strings attached that tangled around their feet?

Shikamaru sighed very quietly beside her. Ino wanted to stroke his hair or give him some other reassuring gesture, but she couldn't even stop staring at her nails. Shikamaru had said the color was the same as that of her eyes. He called it perfect. Somehow that thought gave Ino the strength to look at him.

His shoulders were tensed and his entire body was completely rigid. Even his breathing seemed like it was a forced effort. Ino half-smiled at him. He was so good to her. Didn't even press the issue, gave her time to sort things out. So selfless. He had never pushed himself onto her. A lesser man in this situation definitely would have. Shikamaru probably had no idea how much she appreciated him and all the kind things he had done. Even from the start, when he had given her the ring during their first meeting, he had treated her like a princess.

Ino sat up straight, sudden epiphany turning her blood into liquid fire and forcing her to stand up. Shikamaru didn't turn to look at her, but her heart was racing. Stiffly, she grabbed some clothes and walked towards the bathroom to change. At the door, Ino paused, not turning.

"I'm going to take a bath...Get ready to leave." She told Shikamaru. She heard him begin to sit up and quickly entered the bathroom, slumping against the door as soon as it had shut.

She didn't love him, she knew. But someday..._someday, she would_.


	14. Actions Speak Louder Than Words 2

**AN: These chapters from Shikamaru's perspective are fun to write **

Okay, that probably wasn't his best idea ever. Having an IQ of over 200 seemed like a real waste when he did stupid stuff like this. What's the point in being smart if you don't exercise your intelligence? Shikamaru felt like he was 13 again and suffering under the power of his first real crush. Where was he know? 17 and suffering again? He could be so dumb sometimes.

It wasn't like she asked him to. She didn't give any signs or hints that maybe she wanted him to do that. There was no reason behind it. He let go of her shoulders. Unless you counted subconscious stimuli.

All those dreams he'd been having.

When the first dream came along, he excused it as being a stress induced vision of the person that had been troubling him. That was back on the night he'd started avoiding Ino. And it had added to his need to be as far from her as possible.

But the dreams hadn't stopped. He'd been dreaming of her every night since then. Sometimes they were dreams about a real marriage between them. Other times it was their future. And still other times...well, strip shogi was only one example. Those seemed most frequent. And it wasn't like he didn't enjoy it.

Of course he LIKED her. She was chipper and easily excitable and didn't mind watching the clouds with him. Ino was fun to be around...always teasing and taunting and torturing him, but in a good way. He never would have thought those things could be a virtue in anyone but Ino somehow accomplished it. She was bossy and more than a little picky at times, but she always seemed to know the right thing to say. And, of course, there were also her quite pleasing physical attributes. It wasn't hard to like her.

Still, liking her was different from kissing her. Shikamaru couldn't hope to express how screwed up it was to be married to a girl for months and only now were they sharing their first real kiss. Everything was so backwards that he had no idea what was right anymore. He had been expecting something different.

Shikamaru wished he was a more aggressive type of person. Maybe then he and 

Ino would've already been at it when they moved into their new house. It would have been so much less awkward. And out of all the avoidable things Shikamaru hated, awkwardness was rather high ranking. Yet there seemed to be little he could do about it now.

She still hadn't looked away from her hands. That nail polish was pretty, but he wished there was nothing to draw her attention away from him. These long seconds of silence were like being held down and cut ever so slowly. Each passing moment was just tightening the ropes and sharpening the knife. He stopped looking at her. Seeing Ino shell-shocked like this was painful in itself, to his pride. Was kissing him really that bad?

He laid down on the bed from his sitting position and turned away so he could no longer see her. Shikamaru decided that Ino probably was too good for him anyway, but it still stung regardless. Couldn't she give him a chance before completely discouraging any growth between them? Was he really so undesirable to her? And Ino had said such kind things to him that time...saying that she didn't regret their marriage. Saying he was the one she missed most of all. Telling him that this was truth.

Shikamaru sighed quietly. He believed her--if somewhat wavering, there was still trust there. He didn't want to call up those feelings of inferiority ever again...she had been right in saying that he had a bit of a complex. Regardless, there was a difference in thinking you are something and being told you are something. Ino may not have said anything in the last few minutes, but actions speak louder than words. Her complete dismissal of him could mean little else than the disgust she had inside herself for him. He didn't need to be a genius to know that much, at least.

Ino suddenly stood up. He tensed even further, trying harder to make his breathing seem natural. She was going through her drawers and then she was standing still at the bathroom door. His eyes were screwed shut, keeping out her image as resolutely as he could.

Yet her voice seemed to crack all his determination to seem unaffected. "I'm going to take a bath...Get ready to leave."

He sat up, opening his eyes and seeking out her face, but the bathroom door 

clicked shut and he could hear the water running. _Is she kicking me out?_

He slowly and reluctantly searched their room for a bag and began to pack his clothes.


	15. Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

**AN: (sob) This is the last chapter. YES, I KNOW, I am very sad too! (sob) Let me know if you desperately want an epilogue, and I'll whip one up. Kisses to all that have/will review! And to all that have read, hugs for mah thugs! I'd be happy if just one person appreciated all the effort that went into this, but it's really great to see hundreds of people (hopefully) enjoying it. Anyway, read it and weep (from the fluff). Luv ya'll.**

Ino rushed her bath, not wanting to get too caught up in thinking about her revelation. It was better to distract herself from that and concentrate on the task at hand. She could hear Shikamaru moving around the room. He sounded restless. She hurried her pace.

She left her hair down after doing a half-assed job at drying it and dressed in a pair of short-shorts, a plain shirt, and a light jean jacket. Steeling herself, she opened the door...

...To find a quite pitiful-looking Shikamaru loading his clothes into a sack.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked, any nervousness overcome by his odd behavior.

He continued with his task. "Packing." He grumbled the simple answer.

"...Why?"

His eyes shot up at this. "YOU told me to."

Ino scoffed. "No I didn't!"

"'Get ready to leave'? Ring a bell?" He scowled furiously.

Ino was, if possible, even more shocked by this than by his kiss. "What?! I didn't mean it like that!" She shook her head vigorously. "No, I was telling you WE were going to go out for awhile! I wasn't telling you to move out!"

Shikamaru dropped the bag on their bed. His expression mirrored her own now. "Oh...oops."

Ino was still staring at him. "I can't believe you just started packing! I can't believe you didn't even put up a fight! This house is as much yours as it is mine, if not more! And besides," Here Ino looked away. "we're married. If you were to move out of this house so would I."

He looked at the floor. "Well...I thought you wanted me to go away."

Ino blushed. "I don't...I just want to go to the park..."

Shikamaru was blushing too. Ino had the urge to apologize and hit him at the same time. Wordlessly, Shikamaru walked out their room to go to the front door. She followed him a second later and together they left for the park. The walked with a respectable distance between them, and Ino wished she could hold his hand like she tended to, trying to aggravate him, but it was inappropriate to do so with their relationship like it was. She wondered if he thought she was pretending it never happened and felt bad that she was probably stressing him out.

However, Shikamaru didn't seem bothered. Then again, he usually wore no expression anyway.

They arrived at the park quicker than the norm, since Ino hadn't run over to look in any shop windows this time. She led him over to a rather isolated patch of land and they lay down next to eachother.

The sky really was quite beautiful. Lazy clouds floated slowly around the blue sections. Ino glanced over at Shikamaru. He was smiling. Just a little.

And Ino thought her heart would burst.

She sat up. His eyes flicked over to her, a slight look of nervousness passing over his features. Ino got on her hands and knees and crawled closer to him. Shikamaru swallowed obviously and she too smiled a bit. She moved in close enough that her hands were on the ground at both sides of his face, blocking his view of the sky.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Ino leaned down and touched her lips to his for a short eternity. "Sorry about earlier. I was just really surprised, is all." Ino confessed quietly.

Shikamaru sighed rather loudly, but he grinned up at her. "Troublesome..." He grumbled--almost cheerfully, if it were possible--and reached a hand up to the back of her neck. He pulled her down closer to him. "You got me all worried and worked up for nothing..."

She smiled back. "You are so lazy sometimes..." He didn't respond, so she leaned in further to kiss him...

And they met halfway.


	16. Epilouge

**AN: And here it ends! I'm so sad about that. I started writing this story awhile back, maybe around this time last year! It immediately was dear to my heart—the silly idea that I'm sure is quite common in fanfiction—an arranged marriage ending up working out, how cliché…but still, it was very special to me. Just because its cliché doesn't mean it can't be good! On that note, prepare yourself for this very cliché, yet very appropriate, epilogue.**

Ino gazed out the window in their living room with a sigh. It was a heavy sigh, to match her heavy emotions. She was happy, so happy, but at the same time a great deal of worry overcame her.

"They'll be happy for us and you know it." A hand rested on her shoulder as Shikamaru sat beside her on the couch and turned to face the window with her. "Why are you bothered?"

Ino nestled herself deep in his arms. "I know they'll be happy about it."

"Are you happ—" his question was cut off by a kiss. It was a slow but desperate meeting of lips. Ino pulled away after a minute with a smile gracing her face. Shikamaru thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

"You know I am, you silly man! I've only said so a hundred times! Sheesh!" she playfully slapped his arm, and he smiled back. "Well, as much as I don't want to, we better get going. Mother and Daddy are expecting us, and then we have dinner with your parents later tonight."

They stood up. Without being told, Shikamaru went and got their coats. Ino blushed and hugged herself tight. Though she had trained him into chivalry, it still made her warm inside whenever he did something small like this for her.

They left their house and walked down the street, fingers entwined. Though he received glares from all the single men passing him by, Shikamaru ignored it. It was only expected when one had a wife as beautiful as Ino. He knew better than to let himself be effected by the jealously of these men. Besides, Ino had assured him time and time again that it was only him that she saw on these walks, that it was only ever him.

The pair soon arrived at her old house, the place where they had first met and exchanged rings. They were greeted at the door by her father. "Ino-chan! And the Nara boy! It's great to see you, it's been much too long." He ushered them in. "Princess, it's too cold out to be wearing such a light jacket, you'll catch a cold! Nara, I thought you were taking better care of her?" He teased lightly.

"Daddy, how many times do I have to tell you to call him Shikamaru? And this coat is fine, I'm not a baby, I can handle the cold." Ino returned as they entered the house.

"Oh, let your old man have some fun with his son-in-law, darling." Her mother spoke from the living room. Ino went to kiss her on the cheek. "Anyhow, what's with wanting to see us so suddenly?"

She had a hopeful glint in her eyes. Ino sighed raggedly and grabbed Shikamaru's hand. He squeezed it back and met her gaze. He was her rock, and always would be. She couldn't be happier about being with him. Though it was arranged, she truly had grown to love her husband dearly, and he felt the same way about her. Things couldn't be going better for the couple. They could overcome this.

Her father smirked at the pair, taking his own wife's hand. "Did you want to tell us something important?" he asked, hinting with his eyes. "Something about a...baby, perhaps?" His wife looked even more hopeful than before.

Ino sighed, but this time it was light, maybe even a cheerful exhalation of breath. She gripped Shikamaru's hand tighter and responded. "Actually….yes. I'm pregnant!"

Two years and some months later found Ino and Shikamaru sitting together in the living room. Their baby boy, Haroji, crawled around on the floor, playing with his favorite toy. He was born blonde, but his hair had changed to a medium brown over time. He had big, beautiful blue eyes that captivated everyone he met.

Ino looked at her son fondly. "He reminds me more of you every day!" She told her husband Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked doubtful. "How so?"

Ino laughed. This got Haroji's attention, and he looked to his mother with an inquisitive expression. She smiled at the boy. "Yesterday, right while I was feeding him, he fell asleep out of nowhere! I fear he shall be lazy like his father."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Oh, really? I suppose I should be on the lookout for moments of bossiness then, shouldn't I?"

Ino snuggled against her husband. "Perhaps you should!" She rubbed her stomach gently. She was in her second month of pregnancy for their next child. "I wonder what she'll be like?"

Shikamaru put his hand on top of hers. "How do you know it's female?"

"A mother always knows!"

Shikamaru smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Though this had begun as an arranged marriage, he was so happy to have a family with this woman, the woman he loved. They had a wonderful son, with another on the way. It was like he and Ino had be arranged by more than just their parents...perhaps fate had some hand in the events? All Shikamaru knew was that it was a perfect arrangement.

Ino mirrored his thoughts. "I'm so glad I'm married to you."

He brought her closer in his arms. "Me too, Ino, me too."

**THE END**

**Thank you for reading! I wish you all well! May you find happiness like Ino and Shikamaru's!**


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